The
Peaks and Valleys of Reservoir Walleyes
By Rick Olson
They say the best time to go
fishing is anytime you can, and that statement may be true. But
there are peaks and valleys, peaks when the odds are tipped in
your favor and valleys when they’re stacked against you. One of
those peaks for reservoir walleyes is on deck right now and
includes the period following the spawn, which happens to be May
and June here in the Midwest.
Shortly
after the spawn walleyes go on a serious feeding binge and is
when tremendous catches can be made, but only if you have a
handle on the “where”. What you do is not nearly as important as
where you’re doing it as a variety of methods can work. For the
most part if you find them you can catch them, and location is
the most important factor. Deciding on where to look will depend
on the section of a reservoir you’re looking at and can vary
from one end to the other.
Rick Olson
worked an early season peak for this big walleye.
If you’re looking at the lower
end and it has deeper creek arms and bays you’ve found a good
starting point. Bays and arms warm up much faster than the main
lake and can load up with walleyes early in the season. That
warm water can draw in schools of baitfish by the boatload, and
big schools of foraging walleyes will follow it all in and take
advantage of the situation. How far they move can vary and will
require a little investigative work to find out.
With a good graph you can find
schools of bait and fish holding close to the bottom. With a
great graph like the Raymarine C120 you can see schools of bait
and actually break it out into individual marks, see big fish
amongst the bait, and see fish glued to the bottom. Good and
even great electronics can help reveal all but the shallowest
running walleyes.
As you make your move into a
bay or arm keep an eye on the electronics and look for any sign
of life, like fish and schools of bait. It there’s bait you can
bet there’s walleyes close by, and it would be a good idea to do
a thorough investigation before leaving for greener pastures. If
you’re not marking fish don’t immediately give up as they may by
too shallow for electronics to readily pick up and could be in
water four or five feet deep and shallower. In that case you’re
simply going to have to put a bait in the water to find out if
there are any walleyes in the neighborhood.
The upper ends of reservoirs
are typically absent the deeper creek arms and bays that you can
find in the lower end and the main lake will probably have to be
explored. One of the keys to finding main lake
walleyes is locating shallower flats which can warm up faster
than surrounding areas. A flat or shelve can attract major
schools of walleyes and a good map can help you narrow things
down and save some time.
Stretches of warm sunny days
can spur the hottest flat action and is something to look for.
Cold fronts on the other hand can push walleyes off the flats
and down the breaks but they can still be caught, you just have
to adjust to the present conditions. If you’re dealing with the
after effects of a cold front you might want to spend a good
deal of time working the areas where shallow flats break into
deeper water, particularly the main channel.
Regardless of whether you’re in
the upper or lower end of the reservoir the methods for putting
fish in the boat remains the same, and includes just about
anything you can throw at them. That doesn’t mean you can get
away with being sloppy but it does mean you can use just about
any method you like and still be effective.
Productive techniques include
live bait rigging, jigging, trolling spinners or cranks, all of
which can be the hottest thing going at any given time. Throw
out a light jig tipped with a minnow and slowly drift along a
flat or break (if you have the right wind) and you’re in
business. If you don’t have the wind an electric trolling motor
like the MinnKota Maxxum will allow you to sneak along in
shallow water without spooking fish. Even if you have the wind
the MinnKota will help you fine tune your trolling run and keep
your bait positioned in the most productive zone. Replace the
jig with a light bouncer and plain snell tipped with a leech,
crawler, or minnow and you’re still in business. A bouncer and
spinner combination can also produce and will allow you to move
a little faster and cover more ground. Trolling crank baits is
another excellent option and the added speed will help you
maximize your ability to cover water. A rule of thumb to keep in
mind is that the stick type minnow imitating lures like the
Normark Husky Jerk are more effective in colder water while the
shad style baits become more productive as things start to warm
up. Shad baits like the Shad Rap or Jointed Shad Rap are
confidence baits and can be counted on to deliver as long as
you’re running them in the right neighborhood. That confidence
gives you the luxury of knowing you will catch them if there are
any there. If you’re not catching it’s time to move on.
Rick Olson
